No 1:1 technology fee in Sudbury

Thursday

Jul 10, 2014 at 1:00 AM

By Jeff MalachowskiDaily News Staff

SUDBURY – School Committee members opted against charging parents of middle school students a fee for the school’s new 1:1 program next year, but plan to revisit the possibility in the future.With many school districts utilizing laptops and tablets to create a 1:1 relationship between students and teachers, Sudbury approved a pilot program last summer allowing some sixth-grade students to utilize Chromebooks, a laptop with Google Chrome as its operating system, in class and at home to complete assignments and collaborate with their fellow students and teachers.Based on the success of the pilot program, which included increased communication with teachers in and out of the classroom and improved student collaboration, school officials funded the program for grades 6 and 7 next year. The district plans to expand the program to eighth grade during the 2015-2016 school year.Committee members and school officials discussed potentially charging parents management and insurance fees for the Chromebooks at their last meeting. Superintendent Anne Wilson, however, recommended the district not implement a 1:1 technology fee next year to provide school officials with more information on the need to charge fees with a larger group of students utilizing the devices this upcoming school year.The district will cover the $28 insurance fee cost per Chromebook next year out of the schools' technology budget, said Wilson."I really would like to see what it's like when we deploy 600 machines," said Wilson. "We don't know what it will be like."School Committee member Scott Nassa agreed, saying he is against introducing a technology fee on parents."I think this is a good move for us to cover it until we can figure it out," said Nassa.Of the 85 Chromebooks used in the pilot program, eight were damaged to the point they were unusable, while 22 were not in good working order, but could be used for parts, said Wilson.With the program in its infancy, School Committee members have not yet decided whether students will keep the Chromebooks, which typically have a lifespan of three years, after they graduate from the middle school."We really don't know because they're so new," said School Committee Chairwoman Ellen Joachim.Jeff Malachowski can be reached at 508-490-7466 or jmalachowski@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @JmalachowskiMW.